No More Tears: Are Advertisers Trying Too Hard to Make You Cry?
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PRESS ALERT || Aug. 21, 2017 (NEW YORK) — The American Council of Emotionally Manipulative Advertisers (ACEMA) today issued a special directive to its brand and agency members instituting a moratorium on so-called “cry before you buy” commercials. The directive, which calls for a six-month freeze on filming and distributing ads designed to make consumers tear up, encompasses categories of manipulative marketing including the council’s MEM (momentary eye-moistening), RMC (rapid mouth-clasping) and OSI (outright sob-inducing) rating classes.
The moratorium is meant to allow the advertising marketplace to absorb what ACEMA, a self-regulatory group, has officially designated a “glut” of heartstring-yanking ads. The council also plans to consider additional proposed guidelines and regulations regarding such ads’ production and use.
The action follows an emergency meeting called by ACEMA President Simon Dumenco in the wake of a new Windex campaign titled “The Story of Lucy,” which describes the (fictional) life of an adorable girl and her seafaring — and therefore often literally distant — father. The campaign, which launched Aug. 7 as a three-minute short film on YouTube and Facebook, is also being released as a series of 30-second TV spots that excerpt different moments from the longer piece.
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